Here we will expose different strategies for the three central aspects of the Truco game, the flower, the envido and the truco. A basic knowledge of the Truco is assumed (otherwise please consult the manual). This guide points at general aspects of the game, not necessarily specific of SG Truco.

The flower:

There is not much to say of the flower, since SG Truco announces it in automatic form. Only in the case in that both players have one, it is possible to compete by its value. We recommend not accept a Flower - Flower bet (6 points) if your flower's value is below 27 points nor contraflor to the rest with one below than 30 points.

This valuation depends much on the relative positions of each player in the score, for example if your opponent announces his flower, and you also have one, and you need less than 6 points to win the game, you must answer contraflor the rest (the points which need you, since you are winning) and not flower since you would compete by 6 points. The inverse situation also is valid, if you are the competitor who are losing the game, and your opponent needs less than 6 points to finish it, is better that you respond flower (6 points) instead of contraflor to the rest (less than 6 points), although this one is a resource very used with inexperienced players, lamentably for you, the IA of SG Truco will cause that in this case Pocket PC's answers always will be contraflor the rest taking the competition to the points that it needs to finish.

The last important point of the flower is that it "discovers" the suit of the cards that his owner have, once the first card it's played, which allows you to analyze what cards he have left. For example if he plays in the first hand the 3 of cups, you knows that the two remaining cards will be of a smaller value, since there is no card of cups that is worth more that the 3, even if the 3 played it's of swords, coins or batons, you can limit the possible cards he can have left. For example if he plays the 3 of coins, the only card with superior value he can have left it the 7, discarding the other 3's, the seven of swords and both the aces (swords and batons), if in addition you have the seven of coins, you know that the better card he can have is the 2, which allows you to play consequently. Additionally if both players have flowers and you known your opponent's points (quite exceptional case), this supposition of cards in hand would be much more accurate, almost in the totality of the cases once played the first card, you will know exactly what cards he left.

The Envido:

Unlike the flower, the envido bet is optional, since each player can decide if he competes or not. In the original game it is also known like "the lie", which denotes its main characteristic, since it is used mainly for "steal" a point to the opponent. As in other strategic card games, there is not fixed rules that allow you to win always, but some tips can be enunciated as we seen next.

If you have many points for the envido (29 or more), and are the hand, you can adopt two positions, first it is directly to make the bet that you consider accurate (envido, royal envido, or envido the rest), waiting for the answer of the adversary, and the other is not to bet, play a card and wait for the other player makes a bet, of such way to respond elevating it, making that must choose between continuing elevating it, accept your proposal, or to reject it, in this form you make sure a minimum of two points.

But it is necessary to consider that can happen that your opponent doesn't bet and you lose the opportunity to win a point at least. On the other hand if you are the foot player you can respond to the bet of your opponent, or if he had not made any займ онлайн, you can make your bet. Always is necessary to consider that your opponent can be using the technique we discuss previously.

If however you have an amount of points regular (between 25 and 29) or directly bad (smaller to 25), is a luck question since nothing can be said of the result of a bet with those points, you depend on which your opponent has (which of course you don't know). On the other hand it is here where the game becomes more attractive, since the result depends generally on whatever you want to risk in the series of bets and answers.

As we saw in the flower, it is necessary to consider the points that lack to finish the game, as well as who is winning, of such way of not accepting bets by more points that those that you have left (if you are winning) or to try to force this situation if you are losing. As we saw in the flower, if you try to make this last in SG Truco, and Pocket PC is winning, will always answer with envido the rest, of such way to fit the points in game to which it needs to finish.

A special case is when you need a single point since your opponent is forced to accept your bet, otherwise he loses the game. It is necessary to have this in consideration, to not make unnecessary bets. On the other hand if you are winning and you need only two or three points, you can take advantage of this situation and bet envido for example, knowing that your opponent will not risk to lose the game (unless he has excellent points), with which almost surely it will respond I don't want and you will be able to win a point.

Next we will see all the combinations of possible bets for the envido and the points that imply accept or reject the bet. In all cases, the accepted column indicates the points that are destined to the winner of the envido, and the rejected column refers to the points that are added to the player who did the last bet in case that his opponent does not accept it.

Player A

Player B

Player A

Player B

Accepted

Rejected

Envido

2

1

Royal Envido

3

1

Envido the rest

The points that needs the player who actually is wining the game to finish it

1

Envido

Envido

4

2

Envido

Royal Envido

5

2

Envido

Envido the rest

The points that needs the player who actually is wining the game to finish it

2

Envido

Envido

Royal Envido

7

4

Envido

Envido

Envido the rest

The points that needs the player who actually is wining the game to finish it

4

Envido

Royal Envido

Envido the rest

The points that needs the player who actually is wining the game to finish it

5

Envido

Envido

Royal Envido

Envido the rest

The points that needs the player who actually is wining the game to finish it

7

Royal Envido

Envido the rest

The points that needs the player who actually is wining the game to finish it

3

The Truco:

We will divide the strategy for the truco in the three hands of the game.

First hand: if you are the hand player you must generally play the best card than you have, unless you have two very good cards, for example the ace of swords or batons and the seven of coins or swords, in which case you can "let pass" the first hand playing the third card (the one with lower value), trying this way that your opponent believes that you do not have any good card. If you are the foot player, you must try to "kill" the card played by your adversary, in order to win the first hand. If you don't have a card of greater or equal value you will have to play the one of smaller value in order to reserve the two better for 2nd and 3rd hands. A special case is if you have a card of the same value that the one played, in which case there is a tie and the truco will be defined in the second hand.

Second hand: If you won the 1st it's your turn to play, generally you play the minor of the two cards that you have, in order to reserve the best one for the third hand. You can possible thought that it would be better to play the high one in such way to try to finish the truco in the 2nd hand, but this would give a single point to you since in this example until the moment no player bet for the truco, in general you must tends to play the three hands in order to be elevating the bet by the succession of the different bets, truco, retruco and it's worth 4, which normally is made in the 2ns or more frequently in the 3rd hand when each player know the cards of the opponent.

In case that you lost the first hand, you must win obligatorily the second. If you can “kill” the card that your adversary played, you will have to use the card of smaller value than you have that it allows you to kill it, in order to reserve the best one for the third hand. If it is not possible to you to kill you have it two options, one is resign the hand, losing the points that were betted (1 if nothing was betted, 2 if it is betted the truco, 3 for retruco or 4 for it's worth 4), and the other option is to elevate the bet, betting the truco if it's not already betted, or the bet that continue to that currently betted (retruco or it's worth four), to see if you can make your adversary resign the hand, wining you the points in game. A special case is if you tie the first hand, since you can tie in the second and the truco it's defined in the third.

Third hand: as this one is the last hand, if until now neither players it proposed the trick, this is the moment for doing it, or for elevating the bet if you wish to do it. You must consider that if you opponent have to play first this hand he proposes truco, you will not have to answer I want retruco but only I want, of such way to see the card he plays before bet the retruco, this is valid although you have in hand the best card (the ace of swords), since if you hurry to answer he will be able to suppose that you do not have any doubt about your victory. Of course which also the saying in the second hand is applied here, if you see that you cannot kill the played card or is called on to you to play first and your card is of very under value, you always can try to "scare" your opponent being proposed to him to elevate the bet, this resource is used generally less and less with passing of the hands, since the bet points every time weigh more on those that lack to finish the game.

A special case to consider is when you are winning and are left very few points, since you must try that the value of the truco never surpasses the points that you need, for example if you needed two points and your opponent propose truco, you must respond only I want and not to elevate it to three points by means of I want retruco, since it would not grant any additional benefit to you in case of winning (only benefits your opponent)

Another point important to consider is the determination of the cards by means of the points announced for the envido or for the flower, since if you are playing the third hand is very probable that your adversary can know that card you have left. This situation also can be use in your benefit, for example if you have 27 point for the envido and play the 10 of cups and soon the one of coins, and you have left the 7 of cups, your adversary cannot know if you have left the seven of cups or the one of coins.

We hoped that this guide was useful to you, in order to continue learning the game of the truco. Any suggestion, doubts or ideas on SG Truco, please send to sgtruco@sporagames.com , it will be much appreciated.